INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Gannon women’s golf team is one of 72 teams nationwide and 18 teams in the East Region to claim a spot in the Division II Women’s Golf Championships, the NCAA announced Monday.
A total of 18 teams along with six individual qualifiers in four Division II regions – East, Central, South, and West — will compete from May 5-7. Each site will consist of both team and individual competition conducted concurrently.
All participants will compete through the 54 holes of competition. The top five teams from the East and West Regions and the top four teams in the Central and South along with the top two individuals not on an advancing team will advance to the championships.
The NCAA Division II Women’s Golf National Championships will be held May 13-17 at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nevada. The number of participants that qualify for the finals is 98.
Head coach Scott Stano‘s Golden Knights claimed an automatic spot in the East Regional by winning the PSAC championship for the sixth consecutive year over the weekend in Kutztown, Pa.
Gannon is seeded eighth in the 18-team East Regional, which will be played May 5-7 at The Meadows Golf Club in Allendale, Mich., hosted by Grand Valley State. Findlay is the No. 1 seed in the regional, while host Grand Valley State is the No. 2 seed. The rest of the top five includes No. 3 Missouri-St. Louis, No. 4 UIndy, and No. 5 Tiffin.
The second five includes No. 6 Ferris State, No. 7 Ashland, No. 8 Gannon, No. 9 Wayne State (Mich.), and No. 10 Davenport.
Also included in the East Regional field are Drury, McKendree, Maryville (Mo.), Ohio Dominican, Saginaw Valley State, Franklin Pierce, Glenville State, and Illinois Springfield
Six individuals complete the field: Sydney Hugo, Walsh; Lucia Martin, Charleston (WV); AJ Powell, Wisconsin-Parkside; Abby Wolff, William Jewell; Addie Delcamp, Northwood; and Rockhurst’s Grace Claney.
On Sunday Gannon won an unprecedented sixth straight PSAC championship, pulling away from West Chester on the third day to win by 20 strokes.
Three Golden Knights finished in the top five, including Ditte Petersen (Dianalund, Denmark/Sorø Akademi Skole). The senior became the first PSAC women’s golfer to win three PSAC crowns, winning her third straight. Alexandria LeCureux (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) and Cleo Mateo finished in a tie for third.
Gannon finished in a tie for seventh place out of 15 teams at last year’s East Regional. That was the highest finish ever for the Golden Knights. They fell seven strokes shy of a top five finish and a berth at the National Championships. Petersen was Gannon’s top finisher in a tie for 11th.